Posts Tagged ‘Teds Woodworking’
Hey, Frank here, the Woodshop Projects Rookie. As I told you before, I am not a woodworking pro. I’m just a regular guy who wanted to get started doing some beginner projects in the woodshop and around the house and needed some quality plans. In fact, the economy recently forced me to move to a different part of the country and into an older home which needed a little “work.” So finding some helpful instructions is pretty important to me right now.
My Personal Search
Just like you, I searched long and hard for some cool woodshop projects I could do and helpful instructions for setting up a wood workshop, knowing the right tools for woodwork, and finding woodshop plans that were easy to read and simple to follow. There are so many books, magazines, and websites out there that it was really confusing. Finally, I found one that I really settled on because it was more of a library of woodworking and woodshop projects and even includes other diy projects, as well.
A Personal Review of Ted’s Woodworking Site
I found it difficult to sift through the few reviews of sites, books and magazines and so I thought that I would write a comprehensive, uncensored review of what I really thought about the one I finally settled on and purchased which was Ted’s Woodworking Projects.
Click Here To Go To Ted’s Woodworking Now!
I even made a brief video that lists just a few of the different projects and plans you can try in your woodshop or class. It is only a few, because it would be hard to include the 15,000 or 16,000 different projects that are listed. But the video contains some actual screenshots from inside his massive woodworking library.
This is just a review though, so if you want to find Ted’s Woodworking Projects website, then you can click here and see it for yourself, and then come back and finish reading the review.
So, why am I writing this? Well, I am more of a writer than a woodworker anyway, and when I was thinking about which product to purchase and then about buying this one, there were not that many reviews around. There were several endorsements of different sources, but not many reviews, so I thought I would write one out. My hope is that it helps someone who may be in the same position as me. And even though I purchased it myself, I realize that it may not be the right fit for everyone, and money is tight nowadays and nobody can really afford to waste it.
So, please be aware that I will be covering both the negative points and the positive points about Ted’s Woodworking Library. If you are not interested in that or you see something that helps you decide against it, then that is OK, feel free to take off at any time.
What I Was Looking For
When I started looking for some woodshop project plans, I really was more concerned about finding a few simple plans for school woodshop projects for my kids. (As I said in a previous post, the ones I had in school were pretty lame.) I also wanted to find some basic woodshop plans for home projects. I am not a real handyman. I have never been good at working with hand tools or power tools, but in this economy, everybody has to make a few things and be able to do some basic repairs around the house.
Since I am not a woodwork pro I needed something that would be able to show me the very basics of woodwork such as which timber for which project and which tools were best for a specific project. I wanted something with instructions I could read easily. I wanted something with diagrams and pictures that were understandable. (A picture is worth a thousand words, right?) I did not expect it, but I wanted something that even had some step-by-step video instruction. And, of course, since money is always an issue, I wanted something that was affordable and reasonable.
If you just type “woodworking projects” into your search engine, you are going to find thousands of sites that advertise products that sound very similar. It got pretty confusing, but I like to do more research than the average person, so I read through many of the sites and narrowed it down to a few sites that seemed like the “Real McCoy.”
Ted’s site came to the top of my list for several reasons. The author / compiler was a real carpenter and woodworker with over 30 years experience under his belt. He had real world experience to know what was good and what was not. He was also an educator which said he had done research of his own and was also able to instruct people. He was also a member of the AWI, the Architectural Woodwork Institute. That tells me that he is associated with other professionals. The product did win the “Reader’s Choice Award” from the Woodworker’s Association for 2009. And, he just seemed like a genuine, helpful, hardworking, capable guy.
THE NEGATIVES
I’m going to start with the negatives because I like to get right to the point and some people are looking for a specific negative and if you find it here, then you will be able to move on to find something else. There seems to always be some hesitancy when you purchase a downloadable product on the internet. Will I be able to download it easily? Will it be worth the money? Will I be able to use it? Well, you definitely need a computer and an internet connection to be able to purchase it and download it.
1. Overwhelming Size
Teds Woodworking Membership Page
Since there are 16,000 plans inside the members area, it is a lot of material to sift through. If you are the type of person who says, “Just give me a plan and let me get started,” then it might be a chore. There are 19 different wood bookcase plans. There are 56 wooden bench plans. There are 34 wood birdhouse plans. There are 14 different plans for wood swings. There are 136 wood cabinet plans. So there is a lot of material to sift through and a lot of pictures to look at.
2. Large Download Size
Another downside of having a library this large is the sheer size of the package and how long it takes to download something this size. If you have dial-up, or a very slow connection, then it can be tiresome to wait for it. Fortunately, I did not have that problem. I have to say that Ted has recognized this problem and gone a long way to overcoming it with 2 solutions. One is an optional DVD that you can purchase which contains the entire library including bonuses. They will mail the data DVD with all of the projects already on it. A second solution, which I opted for, was to download just a little bit at a time. In the member’s area, you can choose to download the entire library at once as a zip file which could take a long time, or you can download “cabins plans” or “sheds plans” or “trellis plans” or “gun cabinets plans” or “gazebos plans” or “pergola plans” or “wooden toy plans.” You can just download what you need at the time, just like a library.
3. Duplicate Projects
With 16,000 plans you would assume there are some duplicates. I think I found a couple, but surprisingly few. But you will probably find some as you browse through the different project plans and pictures.
THE POSITIVES
1. Sixteen Thousand Woodworking Projects
There are more projects than anyone can do and plenty of quality projects to choose from. The projects are usually in full color. The plans include all the important information such as schematics, blueprints, lists of the needed materials, lists of needed tools, and correct dimensions. I found the plans plans to be clearly drawn with step-by-step directions of how to do the plan and put it all together.
2. Well Organized Download Page
After you purchase the package you are directed to the download page. It is very well organized and easy to find your way around. As I said earlier, you may choose to download the entire package, or just one group of projects at a time. You can even select to download the all bonuses individually. (The bonuses alone were worth the price of the entire package to me. It is organized topically with projects placed into groups.
3. Lifetime Membership
One of the most positive aspects of Ted’s Woodworking site is the fact that when you purchase it, you automatically have a Lifetime Membership at no extra charge. You receive a membership id and a password and you can come and visit the site as often as you want to. If you lose the materials you have downloaded, or if your comuter crashes, you don’t lose the plans you were working on. You can download them again. You can print out the ones you want and work from paper, like most people choose to do. That is why there is no pressure to download everything at once. You can just download what you want or need so you don’t have to go through the agony of waiting for it to download with a slow connection, or use up big chunks of your computer’s hard drive. And, as new things are added to the Membership Area, you have access to them, too.
4. Good for Multiple Skill Levels
There are woodshop projects in this plan that elementary and middle school students can easily follow with the right tools and instruction. There are cool highschool woodshop projects included. And there are more complex plans for the experienced woodworking professional or hobbyist. In fact, I think more advanced woodworkers will really like the incredible selection that they will have at their fingertips or mouse clicks. The value is that instead of wasting hours online or in the bookstore, they can have lots of good quality plans to start on immediately. They will find plenty of projects that will challenge their level of expertise.
5. Moneyback Guarantee
Not all products on the internet come with an unconditional moneyback guarantee, but this one does. If you do not like the product, or it is not what you expected, then you can simply email them and let them know and they will give you a full refund within the first 60 days. In fact, for the price, you can just read it, review it for yourself, try a couple of the projects, and if it doesn’t float your boat, just email them and let them know. I have purchased several products through Clickbank and never had a problem, if I needed a refund. Clickbank works with hundreds of different vendors and requires them to give full refunds during that period. That is how they maintain the quality of their service.
6. Value
OK. Really, the value was a key selling point for me. Thousands of plans at less than a penny apiece. Do the math. You won’t use all of them, but the ones you will use will be more than worth it.
7. Quality Bonuses
Some sites offer bonuses that are really not worth much and that you will never use. However, I have had a chance to look over some of these bonuses and they are really helpful. He offers four valuable bonuses in his package at this time. (Although, to be fair, he says on his website that these bonuses are not always going to be available, so I don’t know what kind of license he has with them. It may be limited to a certain number of members.)
1st Bonus: “Free DWG/CAD Plan Viewer “ This software allows you to view plans that require professional CAD software to even view, much less modify. I know from construction projects I have worked in the past just how valuable this is. I have not personally downloaded and used it for any of my projects yet, but it is valuable to own when you happen to get a set of plans you cannot even open without it. It also gives you the ability to even write your own plans in DWG format or modify someone else’s plans in DWG format.
2nd Bonus: “150 Premium Woodworking Videos “
I have looked at these and they are amazing. There is a series on how to build a shed, and how to build custom furniture, how to build a backyard gazebo, and so many more. If you are in a woodshop class, or even a woodshop teacher, having all of these instruction videos available just a click away is an incredible value. If a picture is worth a thousand words, how much is a video worth?
3rd Bonus: “How To Start A Woodworking Business “
Have you ever walked into a store and seen some items made out of wood, like little tables, chaires, or wooden toys, and said to yourself, “I could make that or something even better.” Well, how do you actually get started in making some things that you can sell for a profit? This book tells how to find the gigs, the suppliers, even some small business information to get you started.
4th Bonus: “Complete Woodworking Guides”
This is a quality 200 page guide filled with woodworking tips and tricks. It also includes detailed full color drawings, and pictures. It explains how to cut dovetails, for example.
One More Unannounced Bonus: Complete Home – DIY Guides
I don’t know why he did not mention this on his page, but i found it in the Private Membership Section is the Complete Home – DIY Guides. This is AWESOME! It is not limited to woodworking, but covers topics like three-way switches, annuals and perrenials, asphalt drives, brick fences, broken windows, building driveways, ceiling fan hookups, ceiling tile, ceramic floor tile, ceramic wall tile, chimes and doorbells, circuit breakers, clogged drains, dishwashers, disposal trouble, and the list goes on. This is an essential for any homeowner, especially these days. I don’t know why he did not mention it on his website.
Summary:
Ok, in spite of some of the negatives, which think he has done a good job of fixing, the size of this woodworking projects resource is massive and in my opinion, worth the price. As I said earlier, I purchased it and I have liked it. I am working on it and learning through it. And, to repeat, it will not be for everybody, but for my money, it is a good quality resource I will use over and over for years and years and so will my kids.
If you want to go check it out for yourself just click on the link below.
Click Here To Go To Teds Woodworking!
Thanks for Stopping By.
Be Blessed Today!
Frank Dobson
